This is one of those l-o-n-g posts boarding on being boring 😀
We have had so much rain over summer Frog Pond Farm is looking lush … very unusual for this time of year.
Those thieving possums have been paying nightly visits to the orchard munching on an array of fruit, while the turkeys are gathering in numbers window shopping. Hubby netted a couple of trees, while Bill my father-in-law has pegged some paper bags over pears (interesting to see if this works). Frankly anything to keep the wildlife away is a bonus, trust me!
Our peaches are ripening in a hurry and are just delicious. There is nothing much better than standing in the orchard biting into a peach and having the juice dribble down your chin. Heaven!
The Damson plum is laden with fruit, as are the apple and pear trees. Our persimmon is boasting fruit this year and the figs are coming along nicely. The only tree which appears devoid of fruit is our quince tree. So no paste or jelly this year.
Bill has been so busy in the kitchen. Pickling garlic, green beans, poaching plums and drying peaches in the dehydrator. How lucky am I?
It’s funny, do you ever brag about things? Our olive trees which were laden and yes I was bragging, have lost at least half the crop thanks to the wind .. it will be interesting to see what we finally harvest.
As for our veg gardens. There are plants spilling over beds and self seeded curcurbits crawling along paths and through gardens shouldering other plants out of the way in their quest for garden dominance. Why am I letting them do this? Good question!
From having no pumpkins last year (ok about 4) it looks as though we will probably be able to open a shop that sells only pumpkins this year. They are loving daily waterings plus my homemade fertilisers, needless to say the bumble bees are loving their flowers.
The state of eating affairs at our place: –
- Tomatoes – oh I love Black Krim and they are just delicious
- Cucumbers – loving the tendergreen variety that I have grown this year
- Loads of zucchinis and beans (the runners are delicious)
- Herbs – the salad bed is chocka with them
- Strawberries – sharing these with the wildlife
- Fennel – these are divine and currently resemble sumo wrestlers
- Eggplants – only just flowering now (oh dear)
- Chilli – always slow starters but we have been munching on a couple
- Spuds – we dug some up for Christmas and I planted more just a few weeks back
- Beetroot – we hauled out a monster beetroot the other day which is going into the morning juices
- Bananas – our chooks are loving them and we have several hands on the way
- Eggs – mini production line about 6 per day
- Walking onions – I harvested some the other day, nice size too
- Spinach – thrown over the fence for the chooks waiting impatiently on the other side
Needless to say, the veg garden is full of flowers (which we don’t eat) as I am a huge fan of companion planting and encouraging those beneficial insects into the garden.
Zinnias
As happens at this time of year the insect pests arrive to have their fair share. Entrance – green shield beetle (I hate these suckers), they are loving my beans and happily sucking the goodness from my tomatoes. I won’t mention the rodents!
Dan our border
Pull up a chair and grab a coffee or vino. I did this video just before Christmas, it was a grey, windy day and it’s old news now, but hey .. I hope you enjoy.
Happy gardening
hello fellow black krim lover! what a lovely post to reunite me with you (even if i’m late). though i’m sure there are many Australian readers who are envious of your rainfall and resulting lushness! i’m about to watch the vid now. thanks for sharing your lovely greenness with us who are baked and beige 🙂
Hello! I am a black krim lover! They are divine on toast with peanut butter 😃 I’m in Melb now and it sure is dry! Hope you enjoy the video 😀 great to see you here
Whenever I see someone like you who has left the corporate world to do organic farming or somesuch, I am tempted. And then I remember that I’m not cut out for farming b/c I scream when I find a dead mouse in the basement, I cringe when you speak of mites in the video. I am a ninny that way:). But, I love to see the life and the beauty you have created!
Oh you are funny! You would surprise yourself! I still scream at mice dead or alive .. Lol Living here is one if the best things I have done! Glad to share our place with you 😃
This is SO LOVELY and BEAUTIFUL. And you are a natural in front of the camera. I so enjoyed seeing your place, you and hearing your voice. Did you do some sprucing up for the video or is it always this neat and tidy? Can we see some bloopers? Maybe there aren’t any:) Seeing this today made me realize how much I’ve missed my blogging friends. Thanks Julie! wendy
I have missed you! And no real sprucing for the video .. Ha ha no bloopers that I know if 😃 thank you for your lovely comment Wendy great to see you here 😀
It was a tonic to read that as I sit here shivering in cold wintery Blighty.
That’s good .. The tonic part of course 😉
Oh my goodness Julie, it’s so lovely seeing you and hearing your voice. And, as usual, I have terrific zenia envy! I must try to grow them properly this year. Loved, LOVED the movie. Make more. 😀
Hello lovely .. Ah I live your videos too, you have the loveliest voice V. Zinnia envy .. Good 😉 glad you loved the video. Hugs
Great to hear your voice and seein you <3 Absolutly natural!!
Reblogged this on Rajiv Chopra and commented:
This is brilliant. Julie, living the good life!
I just reblogged you and tweeted this….
What on earth is a chocktailer?????
Hey Rajiv .. Gosh thank you so much! I’m overwhelmed .. I’m also not sure about this chock tailer? Did you hear this in the video? Sounds like I will have to listen to it again 😀😀 ..
Well, I tweeted the post as well!
Yeah, what you say sound like ‘chock tailer’. Possibly the Kiwi accent. I was thinking to myself, “Say wot, matey. This ‘ere English langwedge is a strainge thing, wot?”… Okay, that is me trying to be Cockney!
Ha ha you should hear me say fish and chips 😀
I am most curious
what a lovely farm and orchard, Julie. I loved dropping in and watching your video, seeing all that lush green and fruit on trees. Living in the Northern Hemisphere, I just put seeds in my seed flats and watch them grow inside the house before they can go in the ground in another month or two. I loved seeing the comfrey growing around your fruit trees, very nice permaculture principle put into action!
Hello … how nice to hear from you and sorry about the late reply. I’m a huge fan of comfrey and have it throughout the orchard. It has so many wonderful uses … Thanks for your lovely comment, enjoy spring!
What a beautiful video, I loved so much. To see you, to hear you and to walk around in your magical farm land, fascinated me dear Julie, Thank you, Blessing and Happiness to you all there, Spring and then summer soon there, Love, nia
Hi Nia .. oh thank you so much. What a lovely comment. How nice to be able to show you around our property 😀 I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the visit. Oh yes, spring will be with us soon. Thank you again